Hypatia
’Tis fifteen hundred years, you say,Since that fair teacher diedIn learnéd AlexandriaBy the stone altar’s side:—The wild monks slew her, as she layAt the feet of the Crucified.
Yet in a prairie-town, one night,I found her lecture-hall,Where bench and dais stood aright,And statues graced the wall,And pendent brazen lamps the lightOf classic days let fall.
A throng that watched the speaker’s face,And on her accents hung,Was gathered there: the strength, the graceOf lands where life is youngCeased not, I saw, with that blithe raceFrom old Pelasgia sprung.
No civic crown the sibyl wore,Nor academic tire,But shining skirts, that trailed the floorAnd made her stature higher;A written scroll the lecturn bore,And flowers bloomed anigh her.
The wealth her honeyed speech had wonAdorned her in our sight;The silkworm for her sake had spunHis cincture, day and night;With broider-work and HonitonHer open sleeves were bright.
But still Hypatia’s self I knew,And saw, with dreamy wonder,The form of her whom Cyril slew(See Kingsley’s novel, yonder)Some fifteen centuries since, ’tis true,And half a world asunder.
Her hair was coifed Athenian-wise,With one loose tress down-flowing;Apollo’s rapture lit her eyes,His utterance bestowing,—A silver flute’s clear harmoniesOn which a god was blowing.
Yet not of Plato’s sounding spheres,And universal Pan,She spoke; but searched historic years,The sisterhood to scanOf women,—girt with ills and fears,—Slaves to the tyrant, Man.
Their crosiered banner she unfurled,And onward pushed her questThrough golden ages of a worldBy their deliverance blest:—At all who stay their hands she hurledDefiance from her breast.
I saw her burning words infuseA warmth through many a heart,As still, in bright successive views,She drew her sex’s part;Discoursing, like the Lesbian Muse,Of work, and song, and art.
Why vaunt, I thought, the past, or sayThe later is the less?Our Sappho sang but yesterday,Of whom two climes confessHeaven’s flame within her wore awayHer earthly loveliness.
So let thy wild heart ripple on,Brave girl, through vale and city!Spare, of its listless moments, oneTo this, thy poet’s ditty;Nor long forbear, when all is done,Thine own sweet self to pity.
The priestess of the Sestian tower,Whose knight the sea swam over,Among her votaries’ gifts no flowerOf heart’s-ease could discover:She died, but in no evil hour,Who, dying, clasped her lover.
The rose-tree has its perfect lifeWhen the full rose is blown;Some height of womanhood the wifeBeyond thy dream has known;Set not thy head and heart at strifeTo keep thee from thine own.
Hypatia! thine essence rareThe rarer joy should merit:Possess thee of that common shareWhich lesser souls inherit:All gods to thee their garlands bear,—Take one from Love and wear it!
Words in this poem 29
- aright adv.
- Rightly; correctly; in a right way or form; without mistake or crime; as, to worship God aright. [Pref. a- + right.]
- graced a.
- Endowed with grace; beautiful; full of graces; honorable.
- classic a.
- Of or relating to the first class or rank, especially in literature or art. [L. classicus relating to the classes of the Roman people, and especially to the frist class; hence, of the first rank, superior, from classis class: cf. F. clas]
- blithe a.
- Gay; merry; sprightly; joyous; glad; cheerful; as, a blithe spirit. [AS. bli blithe, kind; akin to Goth. blei kind, Icel. bli mild, gentle, Dan. & Sw. blid gentle, D. blijd blithe, OHG. blidi kind, blithe.]
- civic a.
- Relating to, or derived from, a city or citizen; relating to man as a member of society, or to civil affairs. Civic crown (Rom. [L.civicus, fr. civis citizen. See City.]
- sibyl n.
- A woman supposed to be endowed with a spirit of prophecy.
- lecturn n.
- A choir desk, or reading desk, in some churches, from which the lections, or Scripture lessons, are chanted or read; hence, a reading desk. . Fairholt. [LL. lectrinum, fr. lectrum; cf. L. legere, lectum, to read.]
- wealth n.
- Weal; welfare; prosperity; good. [OE. welthe, from wele; cf. D. weelde luxury. See Weal prosperity.]
- honeyed a.
- Covered with honey.
- cincture n.
- A belt, a girdle, or something worn round the body, -- as by an ecclesiastic for confining the alb. [L. cinctura, fr. cingere, cinctum, to gird.]
- dreamy a.
- Abounding in dreams or given to dreaming; appropriate to, or like, dreams; visionary.
- yonder adv.
- At a distance, but within view. [OE. yonder, ýonder; cf. OD. ginder, Goth. jaindr there. Yond, adv.]
- coifed a.
- Wearing a coif.
- tress n.
- A braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet. [OE. tresse, OF. trece, F. tresse, LL. tricia, fr. Gr. tri`cha threefold, because a tress is usually formed by interlacing three pieces; akin to trei^s three. Se]
- spoke n.
- The radius or ray of a wheel; one of the small bars which are inserted in the hub, or nave, and which serve to support the rim or felly. [OE. spoke, spake, AS, spaca; akin to D. speek, LG. speke, OHG. speihha, G. speiche. sq. root170. Cf. Spike a nail.]
- historic a.
- Of or pertaining to history, or the record of past events; as, an historical poem; the historic page. [L. historicus, Gr. historique. See History.]
- sisterhood n.
- The state or relation of being a sister; the office or duty of a sister. [Sister + hood.]
- scan v. t.
- To mount by steps; to go through with step by step. [L. scandere, scansum, to climb, to scan, akin to Skr. skand to spring, leap: cf. F. scander. Cf. Ascend, Descend, Scale a ladder.]
- girt v. t.
- To gird; to encircle; to invest by means of a girdle; to measure the girth of; as, to girt a tree. [From Girt, n., cf. Girth, v.]
- crosiered a.
- Bearing a crosier.
- lesbian a.
- Of or pertaining to the island anciently called Lesbos, now Mitylene, in the Grecian Archipelago.
- sappho n.
- Any one of several species of brilliant South American humming birds of the genus Sappho, having very bright-colored and deeply forked tails; -- called also firetail. [See Sapphic.]
- loveliness n.
- The state or quality of being lovely. [From Lovely.]
- vale n.
- A tract of low ground, or of land between hills; a valley. [OE. val, F. val, L. vallis; perhaps akin to Gr. Avalanche, Vail to lower, Valley.]
- listless a.
- Having no desire or inclination; indifferent; heedless; spiritless. [OE. listles, lustles. See Lust.]
- ditty n.
- A saying or utterance; especially, one that is short and frequently repeated; a theme. [OE. dite, OF. ditié, fr. L. dictatum, p. p. neut. of dictare to say often, dictate, compose. See Dictate, v. t.]
- priestess n.
- A woman who officiated in sacred rites among pagans. Abp.
- discover v. i.
- To discover or show one's self.
- strife n.
- The act of striving; earnest endeavor. [OF. estrif. See Strive.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Hypatia is in the public domain. This text is taken from The poetical works of Edmund Clarence Stedman, Project Gutenberg ebook #70763; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Edmund Clarence Stedman, Hypatia, in The Poetical Works of Edmund Clarence Stedman (1860–1897), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #70763, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/stedman-poems/hypatia.html, id L10743.
Form and metre
Hypatia is 90 lines in 15 stanzas of 6 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABABAB, complete in 9 of its 15 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 91%). 94% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.4 syllables. 23 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 31% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 AB-BAB sayA · diedB · alexandria · sideB · layA · crucifiedB
- 2 ABABAB nightA · hallB · arightA · wallB · lightA · fallB
- 3 ABABAB faceA · hungB · graceA · youngB · raceA · sprungB
- 4 ABABA- woreA · tireB · floorA · higherB · boreA · her
- 5 ABAB-B wonA · sightB · spunA · nightB · honiton · brightB
- 6 ABA-AB knewA · wonderB · slewA · yonder · trueA · asunderB
- 7 ABABAB wiseA · flowingB · eyesA · bestowingB · harmoniesA · blowingB
- 8 ABABAB spheresA · panB · yearsA · scanB · fearsA · manB
- 9 ABABAB unfurledA · questB · worldA · blestB · hurledA · breastB
- 10 ABABAB infuseA · heartB · viewsA · partB · museA · artB
- 11 ABABAB sayA · lessB · yesterdayA · confessB · awayA · lovelinessB
- 12 -ABABA on · cityA · oneB · dittyA · doneB · pityA
- 13 A-ABAB towerA · over · flowerA · discoverB · hourA · loverB
- 14 ABABAB lifeA · blownB · wifeA · knownB · strifeA · ownB
- 15 ABABAB rareA · meritB · shareA · inheritB · bearA · itB
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| ’Tis fifteen hundred years, you say, | 9 | ·˘//˘˘··· |
| Since that fair teacher died | 6 | ···/˘· |
| In learnéd Alexandria | 7 | ···˘/˘˘ |
| By the stone altar’s side:— | 6 | ···/˘· |
| The wild monks slew her, as she lay | 8 | ········ |
| At the feet of the Crucified. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Yet in a prairie-town, one night, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| I found her lecture-hall, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Where bench and dais stood aright, | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| And statues graced the wall, | 6 | ·/···· |
| And pendent brazen lamps the light | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Of classic days let fall. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| A throng that watched the speaker’s face, | 9 | ····˘·/˘· |
| And on her accents hung, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Was gathered there: the strength, the grace | 9 | ·/˘˘····· |
| Of lands where life is young | 6 | ······ |
| Ceased not, I saw, with that blithe race | 9 | ·˘······· |
| From old Pelasgia sprung. | 6 | ······ |
| No civic crown the sibyl wore, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Nor academic tire, | 7 | ··˘/˘/˘ |
| But shining skirts, that trailed the floor | 9 | ·/˘···˘·· |
| And made her stature higher; | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| A written scroll the lecturn bore, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| And flowers bloomed anigh her. | 7 | ·/˘·˘/· |
| The wealth her honeyed speech had won | 9 | ···/˘˘··· |
| Adorned her in our sight; | 7 | ˘/··/˘· |
| The silkworm for her sake had spun | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| His cincture, day and night; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| With broider-work and Honiton | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Her open sleeves were bright. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| But still Hypatia’s self I knew, | 8 | ········ |
| And saw, with dreamy wonder, | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| The form of her whom Cyril slew | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| (See Kingsley’s novel, yonder) | 7 | ·/˘/˘/˘ |
| Some fifteen centuries since, ’tis true, | 9 | ·˘//˘˘··· |
| And half a world asunder. | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| Her hair was coifed Athenian-wise, | 10 | ····˘˘/˘˘· |
| With one loose tress down-flowing; | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Apollo’s rapture lit her eyes, | 8 | ˘/˘/˘··· |
| His utterance bestowing,— | 7 | ·/˘˘˘/˘ |
| A silver flute’s clear harmonies | 8 | ·/˘··/˘˘ |
| On which a god was blowing. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Yet not of Plato’s sounding spheres, | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| And universal Pan, | 6 | ··˘/˘· |
| She spoke; but searched historic years, | 9 | ····˘˘/˘· |
| The sisterhood to scan | 6 | ·/˘˘·· |
| Of women,—girt with ills and fears,— | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Slaves to the tyrant, Man. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Their crosiered banner she unfurled, | 10 | ·/˘˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| And onward pushed her quest | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Through golden ages of a world | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| By their deliverance blest:— | 7 | ··˘/˘˘· |
| At all who stay their hands she hurled | 9 | ········˘ |
| Defiance from her breast. | 6 | ˘/˘··· |
| I saw her burning words infuse | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| A warmth through many a heart, | 7 | ···/˘·· |
| As still, in bright successive views, | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| She drew her sex’s part; | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Discoursing, like the Lesbian Muse, | 9 | /˘˘··/˘˘· |
| Of work, and song, and art. | 6 | ······ |
| Why vaunt, I thought, the past, or say | 8 | ········ |
| The later is the less? | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Our Sappho sang but yesterday, | 9 | /˘/˘··/˘· |
| Of whom two climes confess | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Heaven’s flame within her wore away | 9 | /˘·····˘/ |
| Her earthly loveliness. | 6 | ·/˘/˘˘ |
| So let thy wild heart ripple on, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Brave girl, through vale and city! | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Spare, of its listless moments, one | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| To this, thy poet’s ditty; | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| Nor long forbear, when all is done, | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| Thine own sweet self to pity. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| The priestess of the Sestian tower, | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| Whose knight the sea swam over, | 7 | ······· |
| Among her votaries’ gifts no flower | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Of heart’s-ease could discover: | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| She died, but in no evil hour, | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| Who, dying, clasped her lover. | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| The rose-tree has its perfect life | 8 | ·····˘/· |
| When the full rose is blown; | 6 | ······ |
| Some height of womanhood the wife | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Beyond thy dream has known; | 6 | ······ |
| Set not thy head and heart at strife | 8 | ········ |
| To keep thee from thine own. | 6 | ······ |
| Hypatia! thine essence rare | 7 | ····/˘· |
| The rarer joy should merit: | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| Possess thee of that common share | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| Which lesser souls inherit: | 7 | ·/˘·˘/˘ |
| All gods to thee their garlands bear,— | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Take one from Love and wear it! | 7 | ······· |
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